Signifying the Transition from Modern to Post-Modern Schooling... 17Source: Personal archive.
Figure 4. School built in Cyprus according to a local architectural style.
The first has to do with the adaptation of the material aspects of schooling with the local
environment, whereas the second is related to the creation of an image of domesticity, and
thereby ̳neutralize‘ the aspect of institutionalization. The first procedure involves the
employment of environmentally sustainable features such as photovoltaic panels and
geothermal heating or rainwater harvesting for re-use in sanitary appliances. Furthermore,
considerable attempts are made to shape building elements so that they reflect and make use
of a local or regional cultural building tradition (e.g. building materials are mostly indigenous,
the architecture follows local styles). Figure 4 depicts a school in Cyprus built according to
local architectural style.
In the same way, school spaces contain artefacts of a wide range of cultural origins and
tell the story of community from the perspective of different cultural groups. This trend is
fully aligned with the post-modernistic avowed concern for decoration of buildings, often a
concern for semiotics or architecture as a form of quasi-linguistic communication, and often a
strong historical content (Jencks, 1984, 1986).
On the other hand the second procedure for reducing the gap between school and
community life involves the incorporation of a range of elements that replace industrial
elements, which through their form, communicate a context fundamentally disagreeing with
the stereotype of a dwelling place as an oasis of relaxation, idyllic peace and escape from
psychical stresses connected with school work. Such elements could be for instance an
emphasis on decoration corresponding to conflicting semiosis (according to the multiplicity
of the cultural identities within school) aligned with post modern aesthetics, as well as the
inclusion within school space of artifacts and furniture of domestic origin (e.g. sofas, coffee-
tables, corners for personal reflection).^5 The emphasis on decoration over the functional and
technical aspects of school premises allows the representation of the multiple cultural
identities existing in the community rather than suppressing them under a cover of technical-
institutional rationality. As Pink, (2004) argues visual decoration is a representation of
(^5) For example, in Hellerup Skole in Copenhagen slippers are worn to preserve the wooden floors, maintain
cleanliness, keep noise down and as the pupils leave their shoes at the door, prepare themselves for learning.
This kind of transitional ritual resembles very much the entrance from a public to a domestic place (BCSE,
2006).